As anyone who knows anything about film, there is resounding agreement that Ridley Scott is one of the few remaining master filmmakers still working. The man has undoubtedly “the best eye in the business” and has proven himself for nearly 40 years. The legendary director’s earlier films are some of the most beloved films in history, particularly in the realms of science-fiction and fantasy. Two of his most iconic works – Alien and Blade Runner – remain as pillars of the industry, still inspiring filmmakers today, and surely for all time. Nearing the end of the 1980s, Scott began delving into other genres, and whilst still creating magnificent pieces, geeks yearned for his return to sci-fi. Well, it seems that it may actually be happening.

Recently, news has been circulating webwide that Sir Ridley has finally rescued one of his long-entrenched-in-development-hell dream projects, the adaptation of Joe Haldeman’s classic epic novel The Forever War. The director had been trying to get the project into production for 24 years, but to no avail…until now. The thought of Ridley Scott helming something as huge [in narrative and scope] as this has left film geeks salivating.

The story involves a deep-space soldier who is thrust into intergalactic warfare that lasts only seven years, yet when he returns home to Earth, he finds that 20 years have passed and the world is much different than it once was. Expect a beautiful dystopic vision of the future as only Ridley Scott can portray it on the big screen. There is sure to be a great cast, majestic visuals, dramatic action, and cutting-edge effects in this highly-anticipated film. More on this as it comes in…

The return of James Cameron to the big-screen with his new sci-fi epic Avatar has fanboys writhing with anticipation. As news slowly seeps out onto the Internet, more of this amazing film is revealed to those not privy enough to be on set. With its release date still more than a year away (December 18, 2009), time cannot pass quickly enough.

For those unfamiliar with Avatar, it had languished in development ever since Cameron first wrote his scriptment back in 1995. The helmer always known for pushing the limits of filmmaking technologies, was unsatisfied with the current technologies at that time to properly produce his epic futuristic tale of interplanetary warfare and colonization.

After the success of Titanic in 1997, Cameron used his unbounded success to explore more interesting endeavors such as his obsession with deep-sea wrecks and the world’s real abysses. Over the better part of nearly a decade, Cameron along with Director of Photography Vince Pace, developed their steroscopic 3D Fusion Camera system in between the production of documentaries like Ghosts of the Abyss and Aliens of the Deep.

The film’s production commenced after it was announced back in 2005, and it wasn’t long before the highly-secretive tentatively-titled Project 880 began leaking rumors throughout online film communities. It was at first believed that Project 880 was Cameron’s long-speculated live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s manga Battle Angel (now circulating under the pseudonym of Dolphin Project) and will most likely be Cameron’s next endeavor after Avatar to be due in 2011.

Although early drafts of the 80-page scriptment were once available online, they were promptly removed by Lightstorm Entertainment, leaving only remnants for the rest of us get but a glimpse of what’s to come. The story is pure Cameron sci-fi, and centers around an ex-marine named Jake Sully who is thrust into an interplanetary war where humans have left earth to terraform and exploit the distant world of Pandora and its indigenous species for a rare material called unobotanium. With humans being unable to survive on Pandora, they assume the form of an “avatar”, which allows them to inhabit an artificial body as its handler. Jake eventually forms a bond with the indigenous Pandorans – the Na’vi – and helps them to rise up against the human oppressors. Some detractors have called the story boring and preachy with its themes of acculturation and environmentalism (as if that’s something bad); knowing Cameron’s work, we will all be in for the ride of our lives with what he calls “crazy, balls-out sci-fi”.

Cameron and his team have not only revolutionized the digital production pipeline for this and future generations of filmmakers with their pioneering technology and techniques, but these techno-wizards are crafting films that continue to push the limits of the imagination. Working with long-time collaborator Rob Legato, Cameron has a virtual production studio that allows him to utilize “synthespians” in environments generated in real-time and in stereoscopic 3D.

Avatar also reunites Cameron with his Aliens star Sigourney Weaver as a xenobotanist; Australian actor Sam Worthington plays Jake, and Zoe Saldana as a Na’vi princess. The cast also includes Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, and Laz Alonso. Although everyone involved with the film has had to be extremely tight-lipped about the production, what they have disclosed is that it was an extraordinary experience. The film wrapped principal photography earlier this year and has moved into its insanely daunting post-production schedule at full speed.

In recent interviews with Tom Rothman, the Chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, he has been quoted as saying that the footage he has seen thus far is “the coolest shit [he’s] ever seen.” Next year has quite a slateful of huge movies, but everyone knows to steer clear of December and what could be the film to usher in a new era in cinema. Until more is known, we will just have to wait…

Since the dawn of the 21st century, science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and genre films have made a resurgence in the cinematic world. Studios and independent producers are no longer reluctant to finance these projects, as audiences salivate over the newest genre films being brought to the silver screen. This blog is dedicated to the industry news surrounding the world’s most anticipated upcoming sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, and will offer reviews of genre films and television.